Hojo, Best Western Park Place Inn or Desert Inn & Suites?

[pbbecker]

I have mostly stayed at Hojo except once when we stayed at BW Park Place Inn. I am going w/ a larger group (3 adults & 4 kids 11,9,3 &2) we want to share a room to make it less expensive. I have reservations at Hojo for the 2 queen suite $175.20 a night = $1007.40 for 5 night thats w/ AP rate then we have BW w/ AAA rate $119.20 a night = $685.40. I read on here about Desert Inn & Suites, I checked their rates $139 a night = $822.25. I like the size of the suite at hojo but I like the price of BW but the room is very small for a suite. The suite at DI&S is 2 bedroom but I know nothing about the hotel. Any advice for the best option would be greatly appreciated

 

[EagleFlyer]

We stayed at Desert Inn & Suites when we went and thought it was perfect for us. Very close to the park, decent sized clean rooms, cheap. On the down side, breakfast is about as basic as you get and you only get one parking space per room, no matter the size of the room. That wasn't an issue for us since we only had one car with us, but I could see it being a big problem for larger groups.


When we hopefully make it back to DL in 2011 we plan on staying at Desert Inn & Suites again.

 

[DizNee Luver]

We stayed at the Desert Inn & Suites in 2005.
We had 3 adults, 3 older teen boys & a 3 yr old. We stayed in one of the suites & found it roomy enough. We had 4 queen beds, a sofa, table, fridge, microwave, & 2 bathrooms.
It is right across from the pedestrian entrance to the parks, so this was a wonderful bonus!!
The downsides we experienced:
The continental breakfast is very basic....good to grab a quick snack. The pool is inside & pretty small....especially if you're there during the summer. The worse thing was the parking. If you have a large vehicle....good luck parking it there. Not near enough parking stalls for rooms.
I believe you also have to pay for WiFi ($15/day)...so if this is something you want or need.....figure that into your final costs when comparing.

The motel is basic with no frills.....but perfect if you just want to place to shower & sleep.

 

[pbbecker]

Thanks for the feedback. We are flying so parking isn't an issue for us. We have never gotten continental breakfast at Hojo so something is better than nothing and we are going to do a few character breakfasts. An indoor pool in So Cal that doesn't seem right. $15 a day for internet!? I don't need it but I like to check my emails and go online in the evenings after the parks to unwind. Hmmm what to do?

 

[imp&pixie]

We stayed at the Desert Inn & Suites in September and were very pleased with the experience. We didn't need a suite but we were upgraded upon arrival to the Parlor A suite - it would be too small for your group, but it was really nice to have the extra room for our family. The WiFi access at the hotel was free when we were there, we just asked for the access code at the front desk. Yes, the continental breskfast was very basic, but it filled us up so that we didn't need to eat until lunch and it saved us the money we would have spent on buying breakfast. We will be staying there again in 10 days!!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I have mostly stayed at Hojo except once when we stayed at BW Park Place Inn. I am going w/ a larger group (3 adults & 4 kids 11,9,3 &2) we want to share a room to make it less expensive. I have reservations at Hojo for the 2 queen suite $175.20 a night = $1007.40 for 5 night thats w/ AP rate then we have BW w/ AAA rate $119.20 a night = $685.40. I read on here about Desert Inn & Suites, I checked their rates $139 a night = $822.25. I like the size of the suite at hojo but I like the price of BW but the room is very small for a suite. The suite at DI&S is 2 bedroom but I know nothing about the hotel. Any advice for the best option would be greatly appreciated

If you have 7 people in your group you can't stay in a regular room at DL. This is the law. Only 5 per room. You could stay in a 2 room suite. BWPPI has mini suites -- 2Qrooms with a Q pullout. That is 6 people, so I don't know off the top of my head if they will allow a 7th person. You could call and ask. Honestly though, 7 people in one room with only one bathroom would be very difficult to get ready in the mornings. Check out the 2 room suits at DI&S I think it's the C-1 rooms?? Sorry, gotta run, so can't double check that for you. But I'd look into that for 7 people, even though I am not too fond of DI&S, it sounds like that may be your only option.

 

[pbbecker]

Thanks! Good to know they didn't charge for internet. I'm not too worried about breakfast, we have always had to figure it out on our own before so anything will be fine.

I know you can only have 6 people in most suites but we were thinking of not mentioning the two year old since he's really little and still sleeps w/ his mom and dad. The one bathroom thing was a concern of mine, that's why I wanted the suite at Hojo they have 2 bathrooms but the price is so much better at BW. I don't know about 7 people in that small of space though. That's where DI&S comes into play. Why are you not fond of DI&S?

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I know you can only have 6 people in most suites but we were thinking of not mentioning the two year old since he's really little and still sleeps w/ his mom and dad. The one bathroom thing was a concern of mine, that's why I wanted the suite at Hojo they have 2 bathrooms but the price is so much better at BW. I don't know about 7 people in that small of space though. That's where DI&S comes into play. Why are you not fond of DI&S?

Their parking situation leaves a lot to be desired especially since it's supposed to be one car per room (and that includes the 2 room suite -- only 1 car is allowed). My DH went out on business to LA and came back late at night and our guaranteed one parking stall was gone. We had to beg, plead, etc., to be accommodated. They finally told him to park at their sister property all the way on Katella and walk back to theirs. What if that had been me alone or with my kid? Despite the fact that they have security on the grounds patrolling, somehow someone managed to sneak in another car and they refused to do anything about it. (Even though they had signs everywhere saying they would tow your car.) Their continental breakfast was laughable. They ran out of coffee and refused to make any more...just a lot of stuff like that. I read on another board about people who were double charged for their room and they refused to take the charge off. They finally had to go through their credit card company and file a claim to get the charge reversed. Things like this make me think there is a reason why they are no longer a Good Neighbor motel.
Their customer service just left a lot to be desired when we stayed there, the room we stayed in was cramped and at the time the carpets were filthy. I don't know if it's changed much; I hope it has. But when we stayed there, our socks turned black! The rooms were dark and just not as nicely appointed as even the Anaheim Plaza which is considered a budget motel complex.
Speaking of which, Anaheim Plaza has 2 room 'suite' set ups. One room has a micro and fridge, and you'd have 2 bathrooms. I haven't stayed there in years either, but a lot of folks like it for a budget place to sleep. They charge $4 a night for parking, but there is plenty of it. They have an Olympic sized pool and jacuzzi. They have laundry facilities and used to have a game room too. Also, from what I've read recently, they have a hot breakfast buffet and kids 9 and under eat free. (Double check this, it could change anytime.) You may want to check them out. They are walking distance to the crosswalk, but not as close as BWPPI and DI&S. Now keep in mind AP is not luxury by any means, but rooms can be had for $49 and up. So if it's just a place to sleep, and you're on a tight budget, then it's another option.
Good luck ith your decision!

 

[pbbecker]

Thanks for the great feedback DisneySuiteFreak. I just made another reservation at Hojo w/ the entertainment rate for a kids suite @ $99 a night. The king bed will be perfect for the two other adults and the 2 year old (he sleeps w/ his mom & dad still). 11 and 9 year olds get the bunk beds and my DD 3 and I get the sofa sleeper. This room looks way roomier than the BW PPI I wasn't sure about DI&S after such mixed reviews. I do enjoy Hojo and I really like earning points for future stays w/ my whyndam rewards card. I'm not completely sure yet but all the feedback is helping.

 

[mareed]

Thanks for the great feedback DisneySuiteFreak. I just made another reservation at Hojo w/ the entertainment rate for a kids suite @ $99 a night. The king bed will be perfect for the two other adults and the 2 year old (he sleeps w/ his mom & dad still). 11 and 9 year olds get the bunk beds and my DD 3 and I get the sofa sleeper. This room looks way roomier than the BW PPI I wasn't sure about DI&S after such mixed reviews. I do enjoy Hojo and I really like earning points for future stays w/ my whyndam rewards card. I'm not completely sure yet but all the feedback is helping.

There's a maximum occupancy of 5 on the kidsuite rooms, I believe. I read some discussion about maybe allowing 6 with a rollaway, but I can't remember if that was actually true or not. The sofa sleeper is chair sized and is twin sized at the largest, and when we unfolded it out when we stayed there in Dec and had my kids lay down in it, it seemed smaller than that to us. Small enough that we decided it was too small for my 5'3" 13 year old and we'd put my 10 year old on it when we stay there again in March. Definitely not large enough for an adult and a child!

So, unfortunately, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't believe the kidsuite will work for your group of 7.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Thanks for the great feedback DisneySuiteFreak. I just made another reservation at Hojo w/ the entertainment rate for a kids suite @ $99 a night. The king bed will be perfect for the two other adults and the 2 year old (he sleeps w/ his mom & dad still). 11 and 9 year olds get the bunk beds and my DD 3 and I get the sofa sleeper. This room looks way roomier than the BW PPI I wasn't sure about DI&S after such mixed reviews. I do enjoy Hojo and I really like earning points for future stays w/ my whyndam rewards card. I'm not completely sure yet but all the feedback is helping.

You're welcome. But sorry, I too have more bad news. You can't earn Wyndham rewards if you use the Entertainment rate. At least that's what they told me the last time I checked in.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

If hojos has the Entertainment rate during your stay, you could get 2 rooms. The oversized double rooms are $69/night IIRC, and 2 of those would equal 4 beds. More than enough for 7 people. Just ask for adjoining rooms or rooms close to each other. You can put in a request, but no guarantees.

 

[pbbecker]

Good to know about the sofa sleeper. I was thinking it was the size of the sofa sleeper in the queen suite. Darn! They knew we had 6 though (we didn't mention the baby) and they didn't say anything.

They don't give you whyndam rewards points for entertainment rates?! Your still spending money just less than full price so you should get the points. I will definitely suggest they should. In my experience they have pretty good customer service so hopefully they will.

Also, I was thinking it wouldn't be much more to get 2 queen rooms @ $69 each but that would actually be $200 more for the week. My friend I'm going w/ is currently laid off and has had a string of misfortunes money wise. So I'm really trying to keep the costs as low as possible. It will work out. I need to just keep looking at all the options and make a decision.

Thanks for all the important information!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Good to know about the sofa sleeper. I was thinking it was the size of the sofa sleeper in the queen suite. Darn! They knew we had 6 though (we didn't mention the baby) and they didn't say anything.

They don't give you whyndam rewards points for entertainment rates?! Your still spending money just less than full price so you should get the points. I will definitely suggest they should. In my experience they have pretty good customer service so hopefully they will.

Also, I was thinking it wouldn't be much more to get 2 queen rooms @ $69 each but that would actually be $200 more for the week. My friend I'm going w/ is currently laid off and has had a string of misfortunes money wise. So I'm really trying to keep the costs as low as possible. It will work out. I need to just keep looking at all the options and make a decision.

Thanks for all the important information!

I hope it works out for you! Yeah, I thought it sucked that they wouldn't credit my Wyndham Rewards account, but I didn't fight the guy on it; I just let it go. If you stay there, let us know the results of your Wyndham Rewards fight, so I know what to do next time I stay there.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Did you try to price the Hojo Queen suite? SNQ1 Bld2 has 2 queens and a queen sofa sleeper. That's 6 people right there and a lot more room than a regular room. Check out the room layout here.

Whoops just re-read your original post. You have reservations with the 2 Q suite room at Hojos. That's probably going to be your best bet unless you get 2 double rooms at the Enbt rate of $69 a night. At least that way you'd have 2 bedrooms.

 

[pbbecker]

If we stay at Hojo w/ Enbt rate I will let you know how it goes getting wydham points. I originally booked the 2 queen suite, it's my favorite room. The space is great, 2 bathrooms, and the counter bar to sit and eat at is wonderful. I'm just trying to go a cheaper route than that. I also want a room w/ space. That's where DI&S came into the picture plus others seem to like it. I like the location of BW PPI but the rooms are not very roomy for as many people as we have. It worked for just my family before though but I really liked Hojo better. I'm probably going to change my mind 20 times before I decide. I really enjoy having people to chat w/ who have knowledge about my options. Thank you!